Developers told to stick to plans
The Star
16/10/2001 By Choong Kwee Kim
DEVELOPERS are supposed to build
housing units according to building plans submitted to the local
authorities, Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (Rehda)
Penang chairman Datuk Ong Gim Huat said.
He said most developers were normally
‘gentlemen’ enough not to claim for excess areas built due to the
contractor’s mistake.
Ong said there was a clause in the
sale and purchase agreement (S&P) that allowed buyers or developers to
claim for shortage or excess of floor area as a safeguard against
construction mistakes.
''There is an agreement for the right
to claim but most developers normally do not claim if there is an excess
in floor area built due to construction shortfall,'' he said, adding
there were some exceptions.
On Sunday, State Trade, Commerce and
Consumer Affairs committee chairman Dr Loh Hock Hun advised house buyers
to check the floor space in the building plan before signing the S&P to
prevent any payment demands by developers for excess space in the
future.
Dr Loh highlighted incidents where the
S&P indicated a smaller floor size than what was submitted by the
developer in the building plans and approved by the authorities.
When the strata title was released and
it was found out that the built-up area was larger than what was in the
S&P, Dr Loh said some developers might demand payment for the extra
space, adding it would be unfair to buyers.
Ong said developers were supposed to
build according to the plan they submitted to the authorities.
He added that buyers could view the
plan available at the developer’s office.
He said most planter boxes were
normally not included in the total floor area and understood to be
''given free'' to buyers as part of the package.
But when the strata title comes out,
the land office will include the planter boxes in the total floor area
and that will exceed what is indicated in the S&P, in some cases by two
or three square metres.
''The association feels that since the
area (planter boxes) is given to the buyers and included in the plan,
developers should not to claim for the additional space. issued,'' he
added. |